Toledo Approves Registry for Gay and Straight Unmarried Couples

From the Akron Beacon Journal:

The City Council has approved an ordinance to allow gay or other unmarried couples to register their domestic partnerships as proof of eligibility for benefits such as health care.
Those who sign an affidavit at City Hall would receive a certificate and cards to provide employers as proof of an unmarried but committed relationship.

Ohio passed a broad anti-gay marriage amendment in 2004, but it is unclear how the amendment would affect this ordinance. Earlier this year, the Ohio Supreme Court upheld domestic violence laws that were challenged by criminal defendants who argued that domestic violence laws, as applied to unmarried couples, recognized a non-marital relationship in violation of the amendment. Unlike domestic partnership provisions passed in other jurisdictions (municipal and state), this registry does not mandate employer recognition of these relationships.